Laxman, Srikkanth blast Clarke for saying Aussies in IPL 'suck up' to Kohli

Clarke raised several eyebrows after he claimed that there was a phase when Australian cricketers were so keen on protecting their IPL deals that they felt "scared" of sledging India skipper Kohli

Former India batsman VVS Laxman took a jibe at Michael Clarke for saying that Australian cricketers "sucked up" to India captain Virat Kohli for protecting their IPL contracts, saying just being nice to someone doesn't guarantee a spot in the cash-rich tournament.
 
Krishnamachari Srikkanth, the former India batsman, also supported Laxman’s comment and said that sledging cannot help teams win matches.
 
Clarke, a former Australian captain, raised eyebrows when he said that there was a phase when Australian cricketers were so keen on protecting their IPL deals that they felt "scared" of sledging India skipper Kohli and his teammates and instead "sucked up" to them.
 
"You do not win matches just by sledging. Aussie's loss is a loss, his (Clarke) statement was ridiculous I would say," Srikkanth said while speaking on Star Sports 'Cricket Connected' show.
 
"If you ask Nasser Hussain or Sir Vivian Richards who are experienced players, you can never score runs or get wickets through sledging.
 
"You need to play good cricket and showcase determination; you need to bowl well to get wickets and bat well to achieve targets. Sledging cannot help in any way according to my opinion," he added.

 
Here’s what laxman said about the Clarke’s remarks
 
Just by being nice to someone doesn't get you a place in IPL. Any franchise will look at the player's calibre and value add to the team, which gives them desired results by winning matches/tournaments.
 
These are the kind of players who get IPL contracts. So just being nice to someone will not earn you a spot in the IPL.
 
If you're friendly with any Indian player it doesn't mean that you are getting IPL contract. As a mentor, I'm on the auction table and we select players, those international players that have played exceptionally well for their country and can add value to the franchise
 
Earlier, Australian Test skipper Tim Paine had hit back at Clarke, saying his team avoided provoking "any fight" with Kohli as part of its strategy to keep the Indian captain's bat quiet, not a ploy to save IPL contracts.
 
Kohli's men had become the first-ever Indian team to register a Test series win in Australia in 2018-19. It was the first time since 1947, that India were able to register a Test series victory in Down Under as it defeated the Tim Paine-led side 2-1 in the four-match Test series.